Withings Nutrio U-Scan review: our one-month test

The French brand Withings has included a urine analyser in its range for some time. We tested it for a month.

You may already know the French brand Withings for its smartwatches, scales or even blood pressure monitors. However, it goes further still in everyday health tracking. It monitors sleep using sensors placed beneath the mattress and can also keep an eye on diet with the Nutrio U-Scan, a urine analyser. That is the device we are looking at here.

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On paper, Withings makes an ambitious promise. The company aims to turn an everyday routine into a genuine health-monitoring tool, without imposing any constraint on the user. This device, which looks as though it belongs in a futuristic film, delivers a vast amount of data.

How useful is that information? Can it be trusted? And, above all, does it genuinely make a difference to everyday life? Those are the questions we will address in this test.

Nutrio U-Scan: quick, straightforward installation

Before discussing the device itself, its technical specifications or the information it gives users, it first needs to be installed. Putting on a smartwatch or stepping onto a scale requires no tutorial, but a urine analyser is slightly more involved.

Below is the tutorial explaining how to replace U-Scan cartridges and clean the device.

Fortunately, Withings supports users through every stage. Using the companion app on a smartphone, you can follow a video tutorial and carry out the first measurement. The setup process is fairly straightforward and takes only a few minutes.

One device, one user: a real shame

Once installed, the device naturally became a talking point in my household. Yet, because I was set as the device’s default user, all results were analysed through my profile: my age, sex, height and weight.

The device cannot handle several separate user profiles. This is particularly disappointing given that a urine analyser will, by its nature, be used by more than one person.

Withings defends this approach, arguing that allocating one device to each user is the best way to ensure highly reliable data. On this point, the brand has made the right choice, as we will return to later in this test.

A significant investment

Buying a Nutrio U-Scan is a long-term commitment. This is not the sort of product to purchase on a whim. It should be considered a genuine long-term investment in your health.

The Nutrio U-Scan itself is only one part of the process. On the Withings website, there are two options. The first, called “Proactive”, provides monitoring through between 2 and 4 tests per week. The tests are performed using a “cartridge” with a limited lifespan. Withings states that a cartridge can carry out around twenty tests. Once it is empty, it must be replaced. A new cartridge for the “Proactive” plan costs 99,95 €.

For more than 4 measurements a week, you need the “intensive” subscription, which allows between 5 and 7 measurements per week. Replacements are supplied in sets of 2 cartridges, priced at 179,96 € each time.

Both plans include free access to Withings+ data in the companion app. The initial purchase for the “Proactive” subscription, including the device and one cartridge, costs 349,95 €. Is the “intensive” version sold at a starting price of 429,96 €?

Is the Nutrio U-Scan data useful?

Now that the Nutrio U-Scan has been installed in the toilet and its pricing model is clear, it is time to examine more closely the data that Withings supplies with this device.

Below is one of the first measurements taken during this test.

Ketones

The first metric highlighted by the brand is the level of ketones in urine. This directly reflects the body’s consumption of fat. Keeping track of ketone levels is especially important when dieting, exercising heavily or following intermittent fasting.

The medical community is nevertheless somewhat divided over urine ketone measurements. This information is far less accurate than a blood test and can only provide a trend and overall picture. That makes it well suited to long-term use.

Urinary pH

The U-Scan also measures urinary pH. This assesses the body’s acid-base balance and is an indicator directly linked to diet. With this information, users can tell whether their diet contains too much protein or fibre.

For the best results, measurements should be taken at a consistent time, wherever possible. Urinary pH changes very quickly: hydration, medication and your most recent meal can all alter it. Here too, the purpose is primarily to establish a long-term picture.

HydroStatus

78 % of French people do not drink enough. As a reminder, each person is advised to drink between 1 and 1,5 litres of water per day. In response to this public-health issue, Withings offers the beginning of a solution. By measuring HydroStatus, the U-Scan can tell users whether they are sufficiently hydrated.

This is highly useful day to day and, during my test, it was by far the metric I monitored most closely. It was also the one that had the greatest effect on my lifestyle.

Vitamin C

Finally, the U-Scan’s fourth and last measurement is the level of vitamin C in urine. This data can help users balance their meals more effectively. A vitamin C level that is too low can be explained by insufficient consumption of fresh produce, namely fruit and vegetables. In the event of long-term deficiencies, add the following foods to your diet: citrus fruits, kiwis, strawberries, peppers, broccoli or tomatoes.

Conversely, above-normal vitamin C readings are not normal either. The issue may stem from poor hydration or a deficiency elsewhere. Adding protein sources, in place of a fruit or vegetable high in vitamin C, may help.

Our verdict on the Nutrio U-Scan

With this device, Withings offers a way to monitor health without having to think much about it. You do, however, need to remember to start an analysis before going to the toilet. This can lead to amusing situations, when the device’s few seconds of start-up time become a genuine ordeal.

Aside from this practicality issue, the Nutrio U-Scan is an excellent device. It offers a quick and simple way to track important information, including hydration, ketone and vitamin C levels, as well as urinary pH. The Withings smartphone app makes this data easy to read, and the user experience is very smooth.

However, the device has a few shortcomings. As mentioned above, the two most significant are its far-from-straightforward pricing model and the inability to use multiple user accounts on a single device, which is a genuine drawback.

As for the reliability of the measurements, several scientific studies have demonstrated the benefits of using this type of device. They are very practical for identifying general trends, while naturally remaining less accurate than laboratory analyses.

For its part, Withings says it has conducted several “internal analytical performance studies”. It reports very strong results, with 97 to 100 % agreement for the biomarkers measured.